Starc traps Stokes for 10th time in Ashes: Key stats
Mitchell Starc, Australia's left-arm pacer, struck a major blow by dismissing England captain Ben Stokes on Day 1 of the first Test match of the Ashes 2025-26 series at Perth's Optus Stadium. The dismissal came through a gap between bat and pad as Starc's wobble-seam delivery pitched on a length outside off and straightened late to rattle the stumps. Starc went on to claim seven wickets as England were folded for 172 batting first.
Starc's early impact on England's batting line-up
Starc, who is leading Australia's bowling attack in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, had an immediate impact on England's batting line-up. He dismissed Zak Crawley for a duck in the first over of the match. In his first spell of the morning session, he also got rid of Ben Duckett and Joe Root. This left England reeling at 39/3.
Stokes's dismissal and Starc's 5-wicket haul
Stokes, who walked out under pressure after early wickets, was set up by Starc with outswingers. The delivery that looked like an inswinger caught him off guard. Stokes pushed through the line with a gap between bat and pad, allowing the ball to crash into middle and off stumps. He had to walk back after scoring just six runs off 12 balls.
Starc only behind Ashwin
As per ESPNcricinfo, Starc has now trapped Stokes 10 times across 22 innings as the latter has just managed 190 runs in this battle at 11. Only India's Ravichandran Ashwin (13) has dismissed the England captain more often in Tests. Meanwhile, four of Root's dismissals against Starc have been recorded Down Under. Only Starc's teammate and veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon has more wickets in this regard.
Starc's 5-for and England's batting struggles
Starc completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Gus Atkinson, who edged a delivery outside off. Steve Smith took a sharp catch at second slip. This was Starc's fifth five-for against England and the 17th of his Test career. The pacer trapped two more balls as the Brits were all out for 172 in 32.5 overs. Harry Brook (52), Ollie Pope (46), and Jamie Smith (33) were the vital contributors with the bat.
Seven-fer for Starc
Starc finished his stellar spell with 7/58 from 12.5 overs. With his third scalp, the veteran became the first left-arm pacer to complete 100 wickets in Ashes history. Playing his 23rd Test against England as per ESPNcricinfo, Starc has completed 104 wickets at 26.08 (5W: 5). Overall in Tests, Starc has raced to 409 wickets from 101 Tests at 26.70. He owns 17 five-wicket hauls and 20 four-fers.